Cocktails
by Dreamin
Summary: Architect Khan needs a date to a work party. He decides to ask his next-door neighbor Molly to pretend to be his girlfriend. Khanolly


A/N: This was inspired by a prompt from welcometonightcourt: "fake relationship au."

* * *

"There you are."

Molly cringed when she heard those words. She was in the middle of folding her laundry and the last person she wanted to talk to was her arrogant prick of a too-damn-hot-for-his-own-good neighbor. _At least my intimates are already upstairs, thank God._ She took a deep breath then looked up at him. "What do you want, Khan?" she asked suspiciously.

He was leaning in the doorway of the laundry room, arms crossed in front of his broad chest, smirking. "I thought I might entice you to join me in an evening of cocktails and mingling with London high society."

Molly raised an eyebrow. "I like cocktails but I'm not fond of high society, London or otherwise. Is this some sort of work thing?" She didn't know exactly what Khan Singh did for a living, she just knew it involved networking, business lunches, and entertaining clients, going by what she heard him say on the phone when he was in the hallway.

"Yes, one of our clients is having a cocktail party tomorrow night. I was highly encouraged to bring a date."

"Uh huh, so where's Misty-Bambi-Tiffani or whoever it is you're currently dating?"

He smiled a bit. "The last one was Amber. She's currently dating a football player. So you see, I am quite bereft."

Molly rolled her eyes. "Sorry, not interested."

"I can make it worth your while."

"Somehow, I doubt that." She put her folded laundry into the basket then picked it up. "I'd like to get by."

"What plans do you have besides eating Phish Food and watching _Pride and Prejudice_ again?"

"I don't do that every Friday."

"Correct, sometimes you eat Chocolate Therapy and watch _Sense and Sensibility_. Just think of me as your Mr. Darcy for a night."

"You're certainly arrogant enough," she muttered. "Look, Khan, I don't like you and I never will, so there's no way I'd be able to pass as your girlfriend."

"I'll buy you a week's worth of groceries."

Molly thought it over. "Make it a fortnight and you're on."

"Greedy," he muttered, though she could hear admiration in his voice.

"Practical. I'm going to have to take a personal day tomorrow, get a new dress, shoes, and a bag, and get my hair and nails done. The least you could do is buy my food."

"Done." He held out his hand.

Molly set the laundry basket down then shook his hand. "What time?"

"Six."

"I'll be ready."

* * *

By five the next day, Molly was padding around her bedroom in her bathrobe, mentally checking off things on her list. _Shaved, plucked, scrubbed, washed, brushed. I just need to actually get dressed. Oh, wait, I should eat something first if there's going to be cocktails._ Her mobile chirped.

 _5:03p Don't worry about dinner, we'll have that before the party. KS_

 _5:05p Are you a mind-reader? Molly_

 _5:06p No, I knew there was something I forgot to tell you yesterday. KS_

 _5:08p Right. Molly_

At six on the dot, there was a knock on the door. Molly took a deep breath then opened it. Khan stood there in a black suit and a black silk shirt with the first two buttons undone. His hair was slicked back, as usual, and he smelled like sandalwood and citrus. In short, it was enough to make Molly want to drag him into her bedroom and forget about the party.

Then he opened his mouth.

"You'll do."

 _Well, that certainly puts a damper on my hormones._ She raised an eyebrow. "I can see why Amber's now dating a football player."

He huffed in annoyance. "I was never an expressive boyfriend."

"That's probably one of the reasons why you're single." She grabbed her purse, keys, and shawl, then took one last glance in the mirror in the foyer. Her off-the-shoulder knee-length ocean blue lace cocktail dress fit her perfectly and having her hair curled then pinned up made her eyes stand out. _I don't care what he says, I look damn good._ She followed Khan out the door then locked it before turning to him.

"I have a cab waiting downstairs," he said. "After you."

Once they were in the cab, she turned to him. "I don't even know what it is you do."

Khan chuckled. "I'm an architect. I know you're a doctor but I don't know what kind."

"I'm a pathologist. So, um, how long have we been dating?"

"Six months. It's serious, we're talking about getting a flat together."

"I don't know if I can fake 'serious' – we'd be all over each other and frankly, your personality turns me off."

Khan smirked. "Is that so? What about the rest of me?"

She shrugged. "You're the hottest man in London, the problem is you know it."

"Suppose I were to turn down my personality for the evening."

"I doubt you can."

"You'd be surprised. If I played the attentive boyfriend for a couple of hours, do you think you could reciprocate?"

Molly studied his handsome, perfect face, her eyes lingering on the plush lips she was desperate to kiss, despite their owner's personality, then murmured, "I … I think so."

Khan grinned.

* * *

Once she was seated across from Khan at a table in one of the highest-rated restaurants in London, she decided to just relax and enjoy the moment, if not the company. Of course, she couldn't help noticing the looks Khan kept getting from the other women in the restaurant, looks she noticed he did not return, having eyes only for her.

"Does this happen everywhere you go?" she murmured as she sipped her ice water.

Khan smiled a bit. "You mean the attention from women? Yes, whether I'm on a date or not. A few men too. Just ignore them. I promise, I don't have any jealous exes coming out of the woodwork."

Molly smiled back. "That's a relief." She scanned the menu. The prices made her eyebrows shoot up.

"Don't worry about the prices," Khan murmured. "It's my treat."

She looked up at him curiously. "If you can afford this stuff and that high-end wardrobe of yours, why are you in a middling building like ours?"

He chuckled. "I like my neighbors, one in particular."

 _Does he mean that or is he just playing the part of the good boyfriend_? "Um, thanks."

"You're welcome."

They spent dinner talking about their respective jobs, Molly making sure that what she said was appropriate for the dinner table, then they talked about their families. Both of them had lost their parents when they were young, both of them had no other family left.

"Don't you ever get lonely?" she asked over the chocolate mousse she insisted that they share.

"I'm a workaholic – too busy to be lonely."

"And there's the other reason why you're single."

He smiled a bit. "I suppose you're right."

* * *

In the cab on the way to the party, she startled when she felt him take her hand.

"Easy," he murmured gently. "We want people to believe we're lovers." He paused. "Are you touch-averse or something?"

"It's not that. I touch people all the time. I'm a big hugger. It's just … it's been a long time since someone touched me first."

"Ah." He let go of her hand. "I'll let you initiate all the touching, then."

Molly stared at him, amazed that he was being so thoughtful. "Um, thank you, Khan."

"You're welcome." He paused again. "I wanted to tell you that you look lovely. I should've said that before, forgive me."

She couldn't help a smile. "It's alright, and thank you. You look very handsome."

"Thank you, Molly."

After a moment, she reached out and took his hand. He squeezed her hand gently. They held hands for the rest of the cab ride.

* * *

Molly sipped her sangria, her other hand holding Khan's as he talked to one of his clients. He never forgot she was there, though – he'd squeeze her hand every so often and included her in every conversation he was engaged in. Molly found his world fascinating, even if some of the jargon went over her head. When she found out that the host's wife was a doctor, they immediately started talking shop.

By the end of the party, she had a new friend and a new appreciation for architects, one in particular. As soon as they were in the cab, she leaned over to kiss his cheek. "Thank you, Khan."

He blinked in surprise. "For what?"

"For playing your role so well. I was fully expecting you to ditch me as soon as we got there." She noticed two of his coworkers had done that with their dates.

"Any man who does that doesn't deserve the woman he's with." He smiled a bit. "My boss pulled me aside and told me to not let you get away."

She grinned. "I wondered what he was telling you. So, what are you going to tell him on Monday? I hope it's not that I left you for a football player."

"Actually," he murmured, "I was hoping to tell him that you agreed to go away for the weekend with me."

Molly stared at him. "Well, I guess as lies go, it's a believable one…"

"Who says it's a lie? There's this inn in Devon I go to when I need to get out of the city. Beautiful country."

"Khan … I … what exactly are you saying?"

"I'm saying I truly enjoyed tonight and I want to see where this goes. That is, if you want the same."

Molly searched his eyes for a moment and realized he was telling the truth. She moved closer then pulled his head down for a kiss.


End file.
